Celia's Word of the Day
by LollypopBallgowns
Summary: I have ten problems and dictionaries are nine of them. Yes, I have nine dictionaries. It could be worse. I could be doing drugs. Or people. I could be pretending to date Sirius Black because I need money and he needs to win a bet.
1. Idiosyncratic

**New story! I'm excited for this one, and I hope you guys like.**

 **Note- I'm planning on returning to The Optimist and the Mildly Misanthropic eventually when my writing skill improves. I don't know when exactly because-SURPRISE!- this story is going to be more than just fluff. There's going to be villains and dark magic and all that jazz. Anyway, this story's probably going to take a while.**

* * *

 **Celia Kilmer's Word of the Day: Idiosyncratic**

 **It sounds insulting, but it just means quirky. No one else has to know that, though, if you're ever in an argument and can't think of a good insult. Chances are your opponent won't know what it means, and you will emerge victorious.**

* * *

I have a bit of an obsession with words. I blame my mum. She gave me a dictionary when I was eight. I read it out of sheer boredom at one point, and I swear, I haven't been the same since.

I still have the dictionary. Along with eight others. I keep them in a box with the rest of my valuables.

Kennedy claims stuff like that is why I can't get a boyfriend. Kennedy's slept with approximately all the boys in seventh year, and at least a few in sixth, so I assume she's knowledgeable about these sorts of things, and I should probably listen to her advice.

On the other hand, she's also the kind of bitchy person that will tell you that your logophilic tendencies are preventing you from getting a guy to your face, and her advice is to "dumb it down a little, sweetie", so fuck her.

See this is the thing about living with four other people. When you live with yourself, there's no one around to care if you take out a dictionary, flip to a random page, and memorize the coolest word there.

When you live with other people, things like that are weird, and you have to do them when those other people are asleep.

I bet if I was beautiful, no one would think I was a nerd. Or I'd be an endearing sort of nerd. It worked for Lily Evans. _Wowee, I am bitter._

"Partyyyyy!" Genevieve yells as she jumps into my arms. Unfortunately, I'm not particularly strong, and she's not particularly light, so we both fall over.

"I literally _just_ got out of the shower, Gen. I still have to get dressed, and put my books into my bag, and dry and brush my hair. Can we talk about parties later?" I say, picking myself up off the ground.

"I wanted to ambush you in the morning while you were sleepy and confused." She says without a hint of remorse. "When did you start taking showers in the morning?"

"It's just for today." I cross the room, and grab my uniform. "I woke up early."

"Of course, you just _had_ to wake up early today." She grumbles. "The day I was planning to take advantage of your befuddled, pre-breakfast state."

I wrinkle my nose at her. "That makes it sound a lot more sinister than it actually is."

"Parties are very sinister." She says sagely. "But they're also lots of fun. Which is why you should come."

I groan. "Wait 'till breakfast at the very least, Gen."

"Fine." She says. "I'm waiting. This is me, waiting."

"Don't you have to get ready too?" I say, glancing at her pyjamas, and the haphazard jumble of hair at the nape of her neck.

She blinks. "Right." And then she's flown into the bathroom.

Everyone else in our dorm is still sleeping, and I debate waking them up. Last time I tried to wake them up, though, two of them had called me a bitch simultaneously, one of them had thrown a pillow at my head, and none of them had gotten up.

I decided I'd just let them be late to class.

By the time Gen and I left for breakfast, they were still sleeping.

Their loss.

I sit down at the Ravenclaw table, and Gen slides into the seat across mine, immediately starting to talk.

"I think you would have lots of fun. It's a chance for you to loosen up, y'know?"

I pile my plate up with food, while addressing her. "I think what you mean is that It's a chance for me to make sure you don't get too drunk to get back to the dorm, and then escorting you back when you inevitably do. I have absolutely no interest in being your Hogwarts equivalent of a designated driver."

"Well, then you get drunk too!" She says. "Talk to people for once!"

"I talk to people!"

"Only when you have to! Broaden your horizons, Celia!"

"I don't want to! I'm perfectly happy with the amount of people I talk to now, so why don't you just take your broad horizons and shove them up your-"

"Excuse me." Someone interrupts my rant.

I look around scowling, and blink when I see Sirius Black standing there.

"I'd appreciate it if you moved seats so I could sit with my girlfriend." He continues.

Blink.

I feel like he's trying to communicate some hidden message with his eyes. I'm bad with hidden messages.

Blink.

"Right now." He says, sounding a little frustrated. There is definitely something he's trying to tell me.

Blink.

Then I look down to make sure I haven't accidentally sat down at the Gryffindor table again. I haven't. _What is he talking about?_ I look back up at him.

There! A small, almost imperceptible shake of his head. He widens his eyes slightly for extra emphasis. Nice.

I'm guessing he doesn't want me to move, but I want to be sure. I pointedly look under the table, and his gaze follows mine. I point at myself, then at an empty seat, about three seats down. I look back up at him and give the slightest raise of an eyebrow.

His head shakes again.

A small part of me is dying with excitement right now. It's like being a spy, with super secret messages, and almost indiscernible hand gestures. _The name's Kilmer. Celia Kilmer._

"Sorry, this is my seat." I say to him apologetically. His whole body relaxes. _Relieved sigh in 3, 2, 1…_ He doesn't give a relieved sigh. _Lame._

"I don't see your name on it." The girl beside me has decided to offer her opinion. Oh joy. I scramble to remember her name. _Eva Taylor. Seventh year. Ravenclaw. Probably his aforementioned girlfriend._

"That's because I'm sitting on it." I say to her. I shift over a little, so they can see my name sloppily carved into the wooden chair (a result of a phase I went through in first year when I just had to have my name on everything). "It's right there, see?"

"I see." Black says, the corners of his mouth twitching as he turns to Taylor. "Sorry love, guess I can't eat breakfast with you today. Maybe some other time?"

He doesn't give her a chance to reply, opting instead to practically sprint back to the Gryffindor table, leaving me with his angry girlfriend.

She glares at me but, thankfully, she doesn't say anything. I'm not good with confrontation. I prefer to insult people in my head, where they don't insult me back.

Gen quirks an eyebrow at me. Refusing to switch seats isn't like me. Not because I'm too nice or shy to refuse, but because I just don't see the point. There was a seat right beside her, so I could've moved. She knows something's up. I shrug, look at Taylor beside me, and mouth the words ' _I'll tell you later'._

* * *

Defense Against the Dark Arts is regarded as a fun subject by many. Not by me. Though, if I'm being honest, that's probably because I'm not very good at it. Is that petty? Yes. What can I say? I like things I'm good at. I like to succeed.

There's a new Defense teacher again this year, and he reminds me of Einstein. Or what I imagine Einstein to have been like. He's certainly got the hair to pull it off. It's a magnificent, white, gravity defying, jumble of hair. And his mustache! I aspire to someday command the same amount of attention and respect as that mustache.

He sits down at the desk and regards us all with a somber expression.

After a while he speaks up. "Right. So… we'll start with roll call, and then… we'll see what you lot know…" He has a lackadaisical, unhurried way of speaking that makes me grit my teeth.

I speak fast. It's not a conscious decision, I just do. So when people speak at a normal speed, it seems slow to me. And when people speak slowly, it makes me want to scream at them to just get on with it. It's not fair. They can't help that they speak slowly, just like I can't help that I speak fast. My hatred of slow speakers is completely illogical and I know it. That doesn't make me feel any better, but I _am_ aware.

Professor Einstein- I start to turn to ask Gen for his real name, but then remember that Gen isn't in this class and that I am a loner sitting by myself in a two person desk- starts to take roll call, and I can feel my right eye start to twitch.

A hand taps my shoulder, and a girl's voice whispers "Are you alright? Your eye is twitching."

I nod without looking up.

"Are you sure?" The girl presses.

Somewhere in the background, the professor starts to take his time to pronounce a particularly long name, and my eye starts to twitch faster.

"It's moving faster." The girl provides helpfully.

I look up and meet the concerned gaze of one Lily Evans who, to my surprise, is also sitting alone. Smiling as politely as I can, I assure her that I am perfectly alright.

"Marly's eye twitches sometimes too. Mostly when she has to deal with her idiot ex-boyfriend. Here." And before I can protest, she has moved to sit next to me, her hand is covering my eye and her fingers are pressing down in a few seemingly random places. When she takes her hand away, my eye is perfectly still.

My mouth drops open. She wiggles her fingers and grins. 'Magic!"

I can't help but grin back. "Thanks."

"So, what's your name?" She asks.

I open my mouth to answer, but Wizarding Einstein beats me to it. "Kilmer, Celia." He drawls.

"Present." I say, before turning back to Lily.

Her eyes widen and so does her grin. "Aren't you the Wilkes Walkout girl, from back in fifth year?"

I wince. "I try not to think about it."

"Why not?" A new voice says from behind me. I turn to see a messy haired, bespectacled boy looking at me with an expression of shock. "You were my hero."

Everyone knows James Potter because of the many, many bets placed on when he and Lily would get together. They still haven't, but they have moved from hatred (on Lily's part) to friendship, which most people take as a good sign.

Beside him is Sirius Black. Everyone knows him because of the many, many, howlers he receives from his bitchy relatives, and because of his womanizer reputation.

Seated at the table beside them is Remus Lupin who everyone knows because he is the most sarcastic little shit to ever set foot in Hogwarts.

Next to him, is Peter Pettigrew, who everyone knows because he associates with the rest of them, which is sad, but true.

Together the four of them make the Marauders (still not entirely sure how or when they got that name) and they're four times as well known. One time they made it snow in the Great Hall in May. When everyone showed up for lunch, the four of them were knee deep in snow, having a snowball fight. The snow was cold, it didn't melt, it felt like snow, it tasted like snow (according to reports, I personally didn't try it), and the teachers couldn't get rid of it. Or maybe they didn't want to. I'm pretty sure I saw McGonagall discreetly throw a snowball at Dumbledore so…

Anyway, it was pretty great. My point is, these people were very popular, and I was very confused as to why they were talking to me, because despite my fifteen minutes of fame during the Wilkes Walkout incident, I am not even close to popular.

It's that exact moment that I zone back in, only to hear Potter say "Kilmer, who do you think's right?"

Panic.

"It's alright, Celia, just give us your honest opinion." Lily says, kindly, but completely misunderstanding my wide eyed stare.

"Um." I say.

Thankfully I'm saved from saying anything by Professor Einstein, who tells us to pick a partner with a gleam in his eye that only exaggerated his resemblance to a mad scientist.

"In your pairs," he says, "pick a Partner 1 and a Partner 2. Then find a place to duel. Partner 1 will attack, Partner 2 will one of you loses, you can switch. You will start when I say start, and not a moment sooner. You are not allowed to do anything painful or anything that will be painful and/or difficult to reverse. Other than that, no limitations."

I'm about to look around desperately for a partner when Lily grabs my arm. "Partners?" She says cheerfully.

I nod.

"I partnered with Marlene until fifth year, but she chose Care of Magical Creatures instead." She chatters happily, as we find a secluded corner. "In sixth I partnered with Ellen Patsky but ever since that practice duel we had last year, I think she's been avoiding me."

I don't get a lot of time to focus on that rather alarming statement, because in that same cheerful tone she says, "I'll be Partner 1, alright?"

I nod, and pull out my wand, distracted by the extreme determination that takes over the formerly grinning face as she takes hers out.

Einstein Professor says start, and Lily's eyes narrow.

She attacks.

* * *

 **Please review. It makes me so happy. Tell me what you think! About the characters, about the plot, about my grammar, just throw it at me!**

 **(But please don't be mean)**


	2. Tohubohu

**Alright guys, here's the second chapter! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, you guys make my day.**

 **ALSO- I've decided that I'm going to update this story every Monday. Just so you guys know :)**

 **ONE MORE NOTE- It says third year was the year of the Wilkes Walkout in the last chapter, but I meant to say fifth. I went back and fixed it today, but just in case, I'm also writing it here.**

* * *

 **Celia Kilmer's Word of the Day: Tohubohu**

 **It means what it looks like- chaos. But it's a lot more fun to say. Toh-hoo-boh-hoo. Say it out loud. I promise it's worth it.**

There was a time before the blind panic, I reflect inwardly, throwing myself at the ground to avoid yet another unknown jinx. There was a time before all I could see was red hair flying in all directions and flashes of bright light and narrowed bright green eyes. Before all I could feel was terror, and before all I knew was that I had to keep moving, keep throwing up shields, keep the inevitability of my defeat away for as long as I could.

The bell rings, and I almost fall to the ground in relief.

"You were _fantastic!_ " Lily gushes, running over to me. "Much better than Ellen Patsky."

"Yay…" I say weakly, making my way over to my bag. _Way too much exercise for the first day of classes._

"What do you have next?" She asks.

I pull out my timetable. "Muggle Studies" Then I remember that Gen isn't in that class either. None of my friends are. Only one other seventh year Ravenclaw took the class, and the only time I talked to him was to ask if he could pass the gravy. God, I should really have made more friends in the last six years I spent at this school. Maybe I should go to that party with Gen after all.

"I don't have that class." She says, frowning. "Why is it everyone even mildly interesting took Muggle Studies?"

"It's an interesting class." I say.

"Easy O." Potter says, throwing an arm around her.

"Easy O." Black says, coming up behind me.

"Easy O." Pettigrew echoes.

"What class do you have, Lily?" Lupin says despairingly. "These idiots have no interest that might actually lead to them learning something."

"Herbology?" Lily asks, her eyes shining with hope.

"Herbology." He confirms excitedly.

They high five.

"Congratulations." Black says dryly. "You're both nerds."

Potter cackles, and then those two high five.

"So immature." Lily sighs.

"Positively juvenile." Lupin sniffs.

He offers her his arm, and she takes it. Arm in arm, with their noses in the air, they stroll out of the classroom.

* * *

Muggle Studies is actually a really interesting class. Sometimes. Honestly, Muggles come up with the most amazing things. They have stuff we can't do even with magic.

Sometimes muggle things are brought in and we can try them out. It's those times that it's actually a really interesting class.

Sometimes, though, Professor Kerry decided she was too busy to bother teaching us a subject most of us were taking as a joke, and tells to get in groups and discuss "muggles and their…I don't know, just discuss something about muggles".

Today is one of those days.

Somehow I'm part of a group consisting of the Marauders minus Lupin, and three other people that I don't know.

"Hey! Wilkes Walkout!" A blonde girl who told me to call her Marlene says when I'm introduced to her.

I cringe.

"She doesn't like to think about it." Black provides.

"Why not?!" Marlene looks astounded.

"That's what I said!" Potter says.

"The day you stormed out of Professor Wilkes class was one of the best days in my life." A boy I have yet to be introduced to says, with a hand to his heart.

"I'm Alice." An adorable girl tells me, giving me a wave. "Would someone please tell me what the Wilkes Walkout was?" She demands, turning to everyone else.

"Where _were_ you in fifth year? Under a rock somewhere?" Black demands.

"Italy." She says shortly.

There's a collective 'oh yeah' from the group.

"Okay, okay!" Marlene says excitedly. "I wanna tell the story."

I groan. "How about no one tells the story, and you all let me rest in peace."

I'm ignored.

"Okay, so, um, in fifth year, there was this really horrible teacher named Wilkes who taught defence, right? He never taught anything, he took away tons of points for totally arbitrary reasons, and sometimes he made students cry. Anyway, so one time he started yelling at Kilmer here. And it went on and on, and he insulted literally everything. Her intelligence, her weight, her hair- which I think is very nice, by the way- "

"And then Kilmer stood up." Potter interrupts.

"Hey!" Marlene says. "I was telling the story."

"This is my favourite part!" Potter argues.

"It's my favourite part too!"

"Oh, Jesus Christ!" Alice says. "I just want to know what happened!"

"Fine!" Marlene snaps, and leans back looking immensely dissatisfied.

"Anyway," Potter says with a smug expression. "Kilmer stood up, and her face was bright red, and we were all like 'is she going to cry?'. Then she opened her mouth and said 'If you're not going to teach, then fuck off'."

I wince at the memories flooding back in. I thought I was so tough, swearing at a teacher.

"Wilkes looked pissed, and he was going to say something but she kept going. I don't remember exactly what she said, and I'm pretty sure at one part she was making words up but the gist of it was her saying he was an idiot and she was there to learn and enjoy the class, and if he wasn't going to help with either of those, he should just shut up." He continues animatedly. "And then she stopped talking, grabbed her bag, and started to leave. She was about to walk out the door when he took out his wand and pointed it at her back and the-"

"And then this blonde beside her, who had been laughing her arse off the whole time, put the body bind curse on him, then walked out after her." Marlene finishes, sticking her tongue out at Potter who scowls.

Gen had still been giggling when she caught up to me in the hallway. I had gone to my room and hidden under the covers for the rest of the day. Badass extraordinaire, that's me.

In the end, Dumbledore had come to talk to me, and after I'd told him my story, he told me he'd fire Wilkes immediately.

Wilkes got fired, I got my brush with popularity and Gen got to miss her next class.

"That sounds so _cool!_ " Alice says, her eyes wide. "I can't believe I missed it."

"Trust me, the story makes me sound a lot more rebellious and daring than it was in real life." I say. "I almost peed my pants afterward, I was that worried I would get expelled."

"Her face was so blotchy and red, it was like a tomato gone wrong." Black adds.

I glare at him. _Just because it's true, doesn't mean I want to hear it._ And it was true. I was going through puberty. I had acne, my voice cracked, I sweated a lot (explaining the red tomato face) and I still thought that owning nine dictionaries made one 'cool'.

Horrifying.

Thankfully, the subject is changed to muggle music, and I happily contribute the little knowledge I possess about muggle rock bands.

When the bell rings I have learned more about the Beatles than I had ever hoped to know, and I'm calling them all by their first names (turns out the boy whose name I didn't know is named Frank) upon their insistence.

I've only met these people today, and I'm on better terms with them than I am with three of the people I've lived with for the last six years.

* * *

Marlene and I are walking to Ancient Runes together, and the others have split off into different directions based on their different classes.

When Marlene hears that I have nine dictionaries, she grins and pulls me aside. "Do you want another one?"

I shrug. "Sure."

She grabs my arm. "Come with me."

We've gone about two feet, when we bump into two guys from Gryffindor.

"Oh, hey." Marlene says, though she doesn't sound too excited.

"Hey, Marly." One of them returns. The other nods. Note to self: learn to nod in acknowledgement when people say hello, it looks super cool.

"This is Celia Kilmer." She introduces. "The Wilkes Walkout girl."

I smile. "Hi."

The one who nodded earlier, looks me up and down, and a slow grin spreads across his face. I shift uncomfortably, my smile fading a little. I've seen looks like that before. He opens his mouth, and I try to silently compel him to shut it again.

It doesn't work. "Babe, if you come up to my dorm, I'll help you learn something you'll definitely enjoy."

The smile completely disappears. My mind races to come up with something to retaliate, but nothing comes to mind.

"Two out of ten." Gen says, coming out of nowhere, and looping an arm around my shoulders. "Pathetic, completely lacking in any originality whatsoever. It really should be one, but I gave you a pity point. It was just…"

She turns to me expectantly. I don't hesitate. We've done this before. "Inadequate?" I suggest. "Dismal, paltry, pitiful, contemptible-"

"Contemptible!" She says in an 'Aha!" tone, pointing at the Gryffindor, whose face is flushed. "It was just contemptible overall."

He looks angry, and starts to reply when someone interrupts. "Genevieve?"

Gen looks confused for a second, and then the confidence that was there a few moments ago vanishes, and she squeaks and dives behind my back (useless, seeing as she's taller than me).

Now, it's my turn to be confused. I stand on my tiptoes to peer over over the boy still in front of me. Unfortunately, students are still navigating the halls, and I can't make out anyone special.

"Who was it?" I turn around to hiss at Gen. She's gone.

I turn back around, and see a Slytherin tie right in front of my face .

I look up and see one blond, elegantly raised eyebrow.

My gaze moves down a little, and I see a mouth set in a straight line.

I look back up. "Hey."

"Where'd she go?" Finn Spencer asks, completely ignoring my greeting. I decide to ignore his indecorous behaviour just this once, and shrug.

"No idea." I say, not entirely honestly.

"Is she ignoring me?" He demands.

"What?! Of course not!" I say, lying through my teeth.

"Why?" He asks, looking distraught. Poor guy.

"Why isn't she ignoring you?" I feign ignorance, going all the way, eyes wide and everything.

He gives me a look.

"Look, I'd love to help you, really." I say, lowering my voice. "But I can't."

He sighs, and my heart melts.

"But, if I was to help you, I would tell you something along the lines of; Gen's probably going to be in the library in between the Magical History and Popular Myths and Fables stacks."

Finn's whole face lights up, and all my guilt fades away. _It's for her own good,_ I tell myself firmly.

Marlene closes in as he leaves. "What was that all about?" She whispers.

"I can't tell you." I whisper back. Making sure Finn's way ahead of me, I start to move forward.

"Where are you going?" She hisses.

I'm not really sure why we're being so quiet, but it fits the mood so I go with it.

"The library."

"I'm coming too." She says resolutely.

"No!" I say, panicking. Gen would never forgive me.

"I won't tell a soul, I swear! I just want to see what happens!"

"Nononono! We can't intrude on their privacy." I sigh, turning away. "And that includes me."

Marlene tilts her head to the side, and looks at my face. "Alright." She says finally. "Come look at my dictionary."

I follow her into the Gryffindor common room, to the girls dorms, into her dorm, and then watch as she rifles through her trunk, and then pulls out a cloth wrapped book.

"My great-aunt left it to me." She says. "She died last summer. Big book nerd, according to mom."

"I'm sorry." I say, somewhat uncertainly. She doesn't really sound too cut up over it.

"Don't be." Marlene replies, unwrapping it. "I never talked to her, so I'm not really that upset."

The wrapping falls open, and inside is the thickest and most beautiful dictionary I've ever seen. It's old and a mahogany colour, with gold engravings, that swirl all over the page, making beautiful flowery shapes.

"This is a dictionary?" I breathe out.

"It's really more like a magical encyclopedia." Marlene says. "Spells, potions, magical creatures, that sort of thing. It's kind of expensive, though, are you sure you can afford it?"

"I'll figure something out." I say, tearing my eyes away from the book. "How much?"

"Twenty galleons." She says apologetically.

"Twenty!" I exclaim. "I don't have that much money! I barely have any money!"

"Sorry." She says, and she really does sound sorry. "But I can't cut it down. I need exactly twenty galleons, and people have offered to buy it for a lot more. I just figured you should have since you like this kind of stuff so much."

"Don't sell it!" I beg. "Just give me a little while."

She nods. "Sure. You can have until Christmas break."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

I spend the rest of the day mulling over how to get more money and worrying over Gen. I haven't seen her since the Finn incident, and so far I've looked everywhere. I decided to go back to the dorm half an hour ago. If she doesn't show up by midnight I'm going to Dumbledore.

To pass the time, I think of ways to get money. I can't get a job, I can't borrow the money since I probably won't be able to pay it back, and I doubt I could get away with robbing people. I've decided to sell all my possessions, when Gen bursts into the dorm.

"Should I get back together with Finn Spencer?"

"Where have you been all day?!" "You didn't show up to any of your classes, you didn't come to lunch or dinner, Gen, it's 10:30!"

She winces. "I know, I'm sorry! I just… needed to think."

I sigh. "I told the teachers you were sick."

"Have I ever told you I love you?" She says, jumping onto my bed.

"Yes." I reply. "Either take off of your shoes, or get off my bed. And yes, you should definitely get back together with Finn Spencer."

She sits up and begins to unlace her boot.

"Of course," I continue, not bothering to hide my irritation. "You won't tell me why you broke up in the first place, so I could be wrong."

She grins at me. "Some other time." Then she flops down on her bed, and rolls over.

"Are you going to sleep?!"

"Yeah." She says, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"You can't sleep! You haven't eaten anything!"

"Too tired to go to the kitchens." She mumbles. "I'll have a big breakfast, Cee, don't worry."

"Aggh!" I growl. Stomping over to the door, I put on my boots. "Stay awake, Gen, I'll bring you some food, okay?"

She mumbles something I take for acquiescence.

I'm walking out of the kitchens (My older brother had told me how to get there in first year), when someone grabs me, and yanks me into a nearby broom closet.

I'm about to open my mouth and scream, when I hear Filch's voice muttering right outside.

"Students out of bed… but we'll catch them, Mrs. Norris, my sweet, won't we?"

I swallow instead, and try to figure out who I'm being held against. It's a man, I decide. No boobs. I can feel his breathing. When I hear Filch's footsteps fade, I turn around to try and figure out who this is. One arm moves, so it's no longer wrapped around my waist, I hear someone whisper Lumos, and then I look up into the grinning face of Sirius Black.

"Hello, love." He says.

"Hey." I say, and then for some reason, I nod my head in the same way I saw that asshole do it earlier. Well, I try to do it the same way, but my head just jerks gracelessly. His grin widens. I flush and look away, and that's when I realize that we are in a really awkward position.

One of his arms is still wrapped around my waist, and thanks to my choice to turn around, my boobs are pressed up against his chest.

"Perfect timing, actually, Celia." He continues, as though completely unaware of this. "Marlene told me you needed some money."

I can't help it. I snort. "Let me guess, you just happen to have twenty galleons laying around, and you want to gift them to me."

"Actually, my parents cut me off, so I'm very broke. I do, however, happen to have a way to get you those twenty galleons."

I raise my eyebrows skeptically.

Sirius smiles. It's very attractive. It makes my stomach feel all twisty. I'm so busy mulling over his attractiveness, I don't hear what he says next.

"Pardon?" I say politely.

"Go out with me."

 **I'm not really as happy with this chapter as I could be, but the next one's going to be better. More Sirius! More Jily! Reviews motivate me to work both faster and better ;)**


	3. Discombobulate

**Okay, this chapter is much shorter than the others but I thought that a short chapter was better than nothing. To make it up to you guys, I'll update sooner, around thursday, maybe. If you reviewed, THANKS, you made me very very happy.**

* * *

 **Celia Kilmer's Word of the Day: Discombobulate**

 **It means to confuse someone, which is what you'll do if you actually use the word. Trust me, I've learned from experience.**

My mouth gapes. "Um." I manage to get out.

"Come on," He says, smiling again. "It'll be fun."

"I'm confused." I say, finally remembering how to speak. "How will going out with you get me money?"

"Andrew Reynolds bet fifty galleons I couldn't get you to fall in love with me."

"Right." I say, thinking this over. "I'm still confused."

"About what?"

"Who's Andrew Reynolds? Why me? Have you already accepted? If I was to accept, how long would it go on? What would it constitute of?" The questions tumble out of my mouth one after another.

"Slow down, Kilmer." Sirius says, when I stop to take a breath. "Andrew Reynolds is a guy in Gryffindor. I've got no idea why he chose you, I told him to let me think about it, I don't know how long it would take, I've got to get the details from him tomorrow, so that takes care of your second question too. Anything else?"

I shake my head, making a pros and cons chart in my head.

Pros: Would get money, would get super cool dictionary

Cons: Hmm…might lead to some hatred from ex's? We'd probably have to hold hands, maybe a quick kiss in the hallways, but how bad could that be?

"Deal." I say, sticking out my palm.

We shake on it.

"Wait!" I say, as something occurs to me. "Don't you have a girlfriend?!"

He shakes his head. "Broke up with her after lunch."

"Did you break up with her because of this bet?" I ask, horrified that I might have broken up a relationship. Though, if he was willing to dump his girlfriend for a bet, their relationship clearly wasn't all that strong in the first place.

"Nah. Reynolds made me the bet after Quidditch practice ended. I've been meaning to end it for a while."

"Oh." I say.

"Not going to lecture then?" He asks, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "Lily does it all the time." He pitches his voice high, and does a scarily spot on impression. "She just wants to get close to you, Sirius! You can't just dump a girl every time they try to move the relationship forward."

"Well, it does seem a bit callous," I say, peering through the crack in the closet door. "But I don't particularly like Eva Taylor, and I don't particularly like you-no offence- so I don't really care. The coast is clear, let's go."

"Go to the party this weekend." He says, before we go our separate ways. "We can start this relationship there."  
I pull a face. "Couldn't we start it somewhere else?"

"No." He says.

"Why?" I groan.

"Because your friend was right." He smirks at me. "You really do need to learn how to talk to people without insulting them."

I'm confused for a second, until I remember the conversation I had with Gen this morning at breakfast. A laugh bubbles out of me, before I remember to be offended, and quickly rearrange my facial expression, biting back a smile.

Then it's his turn to laugh, and he starts to leave. "See you later, Celia."

I walk up to the Ravenclaw tower, with my arms full of food, thinking that this bet _could_ actually turn out to be a lot of fun.

* * *

When I told Gen I'd decided to go to the party, she was thrilled. She didn't even ask why I changed my mind.

"It'll be great." She had promised me. "Beginning of the year parties always are."

"Right." I had replied skeptically.

An hour ago, she had flown into a flurry, trying to find me something to wear. I had sat back on the bed and decided to let her figure this one out.

In the end, she had chosen a black halter top I had bought last year to wear on a date, and never even looked at again since. She paired this with a red skirt from her closet, and black heels.

I love heels. I love feeling taller, I love the way they make my feet look, and I love the clicking noise they make when I walk.

Anyway, fast forward an hour later, and now, I'm sweaty, sticky, and I smell a little like barf. Even worse, I'm surrounded by a bunch of other people who are also sweaty, sticky, and smell a little like barf. Gosh, the fun just doesn't end.

I need some water. I push my way out of the dancing throng, and move towards the table filled with drinks.

One of these has got to be water. My head is pounding from the obnoxiously loud music, and my throat is so dry, the Sahara is probably jealous.

Finally I spot a tall glass filled with water, and desperately grab it.

I eagerly drink it all, as fast as I can. The burn hits me, and I start coughing. That was not water. Oh Merlin, definitely not water.

I start to move towards a couch, and sit down, but my limbs feel heavy. I feel like I'm moving through maple syrup.

The thought makes me giggle, and I'm still giggling when I get to the couch.

There's two people making out right there. My eyes widen. "Oops," I tell them. "Sorry." They don't look up, and I'm not even sure if they heard me. I move towards the door instead, intending to go outside.

By the door, I find a platter filled with small glasses of some sort of green drink. Without even thinking about it, I grab one, tilt my head back, and pour the liquid down my throat.

"It tastes like candy!" I say delightedly to myself.

I take the whole platter, and go outside again, drinking another one as I walk out the door.

"Celia?" I hear someone say.

I turn around, stumbling a little as I do, to see Sirius Black standing behind.

"Sirius!" I say joyfully, about to throw myself into his arms. Just in time, I remember there's a platter of drinks in my hands, and carefully put it down on the ground. Then I leap at him, beaming.

"Are you drunk?" He asks, incredulously, his hands on my arms, near my shoulders, keeping me steady.

I nod vigorously. Sirius grins. He's very attractive. I wonder if he knows? I should tell him.

"You." I say, patting his chest in case he doesn't realize I'm talking to him. "Are _very_ attractive."

"That so?" His grin widens.

I nod again. I'm still patting his chest. It feels nice. He has muscles. They're really hard. I bet they're made of metal.

I drop down to rap his stomach with a knuckle, putting my ear nice and close. I don't hear a metallic sound. Instead I hear a bark of laughter from Sirius, and look up at him, confused.

"What are you doing?" He asks, pulling me back up. It makes me dizzy, and I lurch backwards. His hands tighten around my arms.

"I," I reply, trying to focus. "Am extremely flummoxed."

He laughs that same barking laugh again. "I bet you are."

"I'm serious." I say, pouting a little.

His mouth opens, but after a moment of consideration he closes it again, and sighs. "Not worth it if you're drunk." He mutters, which only confuses me more.

"I think I should sleep." I say, lurching to the side again.

"Alright." He says. "C'mon, let's get you to your dorm."

I start walking forward. I stop when I feel two hands on my shoulders. Sirius gently turns me around, and we start walking in the other direction.

We've only just left the party, when he stops. "Shit. What about the riddle?"

I need to think about it for a second before I understand what he means.

"What about it?" I ask, swaying a little. I give a little hiccup before continuing. "I can answer a riddle."

He raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

I nod.

"Alright, um, Mary's mother had four children. The first one was named January, the second one was named February, and the third was named March. What was the fourth one named?"

I wrinkle my nose. "Who names their children after months?"

"I have a distant cousin named 'Nymphadora'." Sirius says. "It could be worse. What's your answer."

I think about it. Months, months, months. My mind is sluggish, and all I can think of is "August?" I suggest.

He shakes his head. "Let's go."

We start walking again, and I don't really realize where we're going, until I hear a shrill voice ask for a password.

I look at Sirius, confused again. "This isn't the Ravenclaw tower."

"Weird." He replies.

I can feel an objection lurking in the back of my mind, but it doesn't come forward, and I'm too tired to think about it for much longer so I just follow Sirius.

* * *

I wake up to an unfamiliar bed, a headache, and the unfortunate ability to remember everything I'd said and done last night.

I push myself up to a sitting position and look around. It's probably Sirius's dorm, but there's no one in it. I start to get out of the bed, but the minute I stand up, the pounding in my head increases, and I flop back down onto the bed.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opens, and Sirius comes out. "Celia!" He says, _loudly_.

I flinch.

"Here." He says, throwing me a small bottle. It lands on the bed, and I stare dumbly at it.

"Just take a few small sips." He continues, grabbing his bag. "It'll get rid of the headache."

I think about it, but only for a minute.

The mixture smells like rotten eggs, and tastes even worse. But, a few small sips later, my headache has dulled and disappeared.

"Thanks." I say, still grimacing at the taste.

"Anytime." He says. "Now, I've gotten a few people to spread the news that we're going out, so if anyone come up to you and asks whether you're dating me or not, you know why."

I nod. "Coolio."

"Also, I talked to Andrew, and he said he'd give me the money, once he was convinced you were in love with me. So, if he comes to talk to you, put on a good show."  
I nod again, unsure of what else I could do.

"One more thing. Your friend dropped off your uniform this morning, it's over there on that chair, and you're very late for breakfast." And then he's gone.

By the time I get down to breakfast, most people are gone, and I don't have enough time to sit down and have a proper meal. I grab a muffin, chug down some orange juice, and sprint to Defence.

 **So again, sorry about the shorter chapter, I'll try to update with another chapter around this length sometime soon, and then it'll go back to normal. Please review! Gimme your opinion.**


	4. Taradiddle

**Yeah, so I didn't update on Thursday like I'd planned, but this is good top, right? I love reading your reviews, they make me feel all warm and tingly inside. So, if you reviewed, thanks!**

* * *

 **Celia Kilmer's Word of the Day: Taradiddle**

 **It means pretentious nonsense. Example- 95% of what comes out of Sirius Black's mouth.**

When I get to Defence, I'm a little late, but the professor hasn't shown up yet either, so I'm safe.

Then I see that Lily and James are sitting in my seat, and Sirius is looking pointedly at me. Sighing, I put my bag down on top of the desk, and slide into the empty seat beside him.

"Glad you're awake." He says, smiling.

I take a bite out of my muffin, and glare at him.

He leans in, and I notice how gorgeous his eyes are. A pretty greyish silver colour, framed by long black lashes. I wonder asininely if he uses mascara.

He kisses my forehead softly, and I try to not look like I'm melting into a puddle of goo. I can hear a girl behind me sigh, and I don't blame her. Honestly, I'm tempted to do the same.

"Now blush," he whispers into my ear, before moving away.

"I don't blush on demand." I retort, choosing to ignore the fact that my cheeks are flaming.

"I can see that." He says, grinning lazily, and turning back around to face Professor Einstein who has, of course, chosen that moment to walk into class.

I contemplate throwing a piece of my muffin at him.

* * *

I was not prepared for Gen.

The minute I get to Transfiguration, she pounces on me.

"I can't take you anywhere, Celia! I can't even believe your nerve! You never came back to the dorm last night! I was so worried! I almost went to Dumbledore, you bitch!"

I explain it to her from the very beginning, starting with Marlene and the dictionary and finishing with me accidentally getting drunk, and having to go to Sirius's room. In typical Gen fashion, she's already come up with answers.

"Andrew Reynolds." She mused. "He's the guy we insulted in the hallway yesterday." She claps her hands excitedly. "I bet he made that bet so that Sirius would make you fall in love with him, and then your heart would be broken, and he could get revenge at long last!"

"Seems a little far-fetched, Gen." I say, laughing.

"Pfft!" She replies. "It's perfect. And then, the joke's gonna be on him, because you guys will have actually fallen in love-"

"Who's going to fall in love?" Sirius asks, walking over to us.

"No one!" I say hastily. Don't want him to think I'm some creepy stalker who's planning our future wedding and children. Gen's the one doing that, not me.

"Alright…" he says slowly. "Anyway, you're supposed to be sitting with me."

"Excuse me?!" I say. "We don't need to sit together in every class. We're dating, not married. Speaking of which, you got me to go out with you, didn't you? Go collect our money."

He winces. "Right, so about that, I went to go ask Reynolds for the money, but he said that when he made the bet, he had said 'love' not 'dating', and that he won't give me the money until he's convinced you're in love with me."

I sigh. "Okay, so I guess I'll just have to act more loving. Easy peasy."

He doesn't look reassured. "First off, if you were really in love with me, you would be _asking_ me if you could possibly have the honor of sitting with me."

I snort and open my mouth to deliver a scathing comment in response to that nonsense, but he isn't finished.

"Secondly, are you sure you can pull off loving? I've been around you for two days, and I've yet to hear anything resembling 'polite', much less 'loving'."

Scowling, I shove my books into my bag. Then I look up at him, and make my eyes go wide. I flutter my lashes for good effect.

"Oh, Sirius." I simper. "Come on, let's go sit together. Please?"

He rolls his eyes, but he's grinning. I stand up and grab his arm, dragging him with me over to his seat.

"Nothing could possibly make me happier than if you'd grant me the _honor_ of getting to be by your side." I continue. It's a little flowery, but it gets the message across.

"I get it." He says, sounding exasperated but amused at the same time.

"Do you really?" I muse, plopping down in the chair. Just then, I realize that I left Gen by herself. God, I'm a horrible friend.

But when I look over, Gen's already moved on. There's a Hufflepuff girl sitting beside her, and they're chatting animatedly.

Welp.

Professor McGonagall's started teaching, so I start listening to her. During the lesson, I can't help but notice that Sirius doesn't pay any attention. He doesn't take notes, he doesn't even listen.

I don't take notes either, but that's because I don't need to. I hope he's not planning to copy mine. If he can't remember everything she said, then he's going to be in trouble. We're working on advanced human transfiguration now. We'll have to practice it tomorrow.

I realize with a horrified start, that he's going to be practicing on me. I resolve that if he accidentally gives me elephant tusks or something, I will mess him up.

"Celia!" I hear someone say as we're leaving. I turn around.

"Oh, hello Kennedy." I say through gritted teeth.

"Darling, I've _got_ to know, how on _earth_ did you get _Sirius Black_ to go out with _you_." Kennedy, if you ask me, is overly fond of emphasizing words.

I force a smile. "I'm not entirely sure, why don't you ask him?"

"I just-" she sighs, "-and don't take offence to this darling- I just don't understand why he'd want to date you."

I will punch this girl in throat. "Kennedy, _darling_ , I'm _beginning_ to suspect that there are a very _few_ things that you _do_ understand." I reply, mimicking her tone. "Are you _aware_ that you have a rather _cretinous_ persona?"

Her cheeks turn red, but she doesn't shut up. "Oh, Celia, we've talked about the whole vocabulary thing, haven't we? It's why I'm so surprised you've managed to get a boyfriend."

I lunge at her, my hands outstretched, ready to beat the shit out of her. Then someone grabs my arm, and starts dragging me away. I blink, confused. "Oi!" I say indignantly.

"People in love don't go around picking fights." Sirius hisses, looking irritated.

"She was the one picking a fight!" I reply, also irritated.

Just then, I hear Kennedy in the background. " _Coming_ at me like a _muggle_. Can't say I'm _surprised_ , though, this _does_ happen to be _Celia_ we're talking about."

"People in love don't go around fighting people who pick fights." He retorts.

"That is such a lie."

"People in love don't go around getting detentions."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Of course it makes sense. They want to spend quality time with the person they love, and they can't very well do that if they're in detention."

"Nonsense."

"Stop picking fights."

"I don't pick fights! But even if I did, why would I listen to you?!"

"Because you love me."

"Arrggghhhh!"

* * *

Lunch is here, but instead of being inside devouring the delicious food, I'm having a whispered fight with Sirius in a little corridor outside the Great Hall.

"I don't care if I'm supposed to be in love," I whisper angrily. "I've barely talked to Gen the whole day."

"I'm just trying to get my money," he replies. "Can't you just play along!"

"You come sit at my table, if it's so important to you!"

He pauses to think about this, then shakes his head. "I can't."

"Oh, so you can't come sit at my table, but I'm expected to drop everything and move over to Gryffindor, huh? Well listen here, you glorified cat-"

"Celia." He says, interrupting my rant. "I can't sit there."

He grabs my arms and spins me around, then points at the Ravenclaw table.

I blink when I see Eva Taylor. "Oh."

"Yeah." He agrees. "I couldn't go sit at her house's table with my new girlfriend. Especially after I never sat at that table with her."

He sounds entirely too happy about that, but I let it go.

"Then we'll sit separately." I say firmly.

He throws his head back and groans.

Then he stop and stares at my eyes. It takes a few very uncomfortable seconds before I decide that this is a staring contest, and stare back determinedly.

His ridiculously pretty eyes narrow.

 _Ha_. _Bad staring contest strategy, mate._

I haven't lost a staring contest in four years. He's got no hope of winning, the prat.

"Haha!" I say triumphantly. He's blinked. "I win."

"Fine." He says. "We'll sit separately. It might cost us the bet, but whatever."

"Shut up, Sirius." I reply, already walking over to the Ravenclaw table.

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me."

Gen looks ecstatic to see me, which is surprising.

"Celia!" She cries "Look, it's my friend Celia, who's going to be here for all of lunch, and who I'm going to be spending lunch with! Celia!"

Confusing.

I raise an eyebrow at her. She smiles nervously.

"Gen, what is going on?" I say, sighing.

She looks around at the people surrounding us. "I'll tell you later."

If she won't tell me now, it's probably about Finn Spencer. Gen is remarkably, and sometimes uncomfortably open about her life. At least, until he gets involved. Then she clams up.

They started dating in fifth year, and it lasted 'till around a month ago, when I received an owl from Gen, telling me that her and Finn were no longer dating, and she didn't want to talk about it, she wanted me to come over with chocolates and comfort.

I'd lied and said it was a very important school project, then left right away. She had been a mess. She refused to talk about why they broke up, and when we saw him with some friends in Diagon Alley, she'd dived into the nearest shop, and didn't come out until she was sure they'd gone.

The same thing happened on the way to school, and then on three separate occasions on the first day of school.

Poor guy, he kept trying to talk to her, and she kept running away as fast as she could.

We're halfway through lunch, when Professor McGonagall comes in, brisk as usual, and announces that classes have been cancelled for the rest of the day.

This causes a bit of a commotion which is expected, but no one really seems worried.

I wouldn't have worried either, if I hadn't been staring at her hands instead of her face.

It wasn't on purpose, just that when I looked up from my lunch, her hands caught my eye.

They were clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. I was pretty sure her fingernails were digging into her palms.

She was worried.

Naturally, this worries me too, and I decide that the best thing to do would be to investigate.

"Gen, I'm going to go figure out what's going on." I whisper to her.

She distractedly mumbles a reply, her eyes on the Slytherin table.

Sighing, I get up from the table, and move out of the Great Hall. Everyone's celebrating, so I doubt any of them are going to pay attention to me.

Wrong.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asks, catching up with me.

I shrug. I'm pretty sure I saw McGonagall turn into the corridor leading to the Defence room. Once you get to the end of that corridor, you'll find a dead end, so she had to be in one of those rooms.

He catches my arm. "If you're going to go find out what's going on, then I'm coming with you."

"Alrighty." I say. "Now, come _on_!" I yank my arm out of his grasp, and start walking again.

"Coming." He says, raising his hands.

We walk down the corridor quietly, ducking into the shadows just in time to see Professor Sinistra walk into the Defence Classroom.

"Should've borrowed the cloak from James." Sirius mutters under his breath.

I don't know what that means, but I don't waste any time pondering it. I move forward, until I'm in front of the classroom. The door's closed, but I can sort of make out what they're saying.

"Who would do such a thing?" I recognize the thin reedy voice of Professor Kettleburn.

"I think the real question, Silvanius, is who _could_ do such a thing? Professor McGonagall says, her voice cool as ever. "It takes a lot of skill to sneak something even a little threatening into Hogwarts. I can think of maybe three wizards who could pull it off."

Someone says something I don't catch, but then McGonagall replies in a horrified tone. "You mean some of _our_ people, Albus?! I don't believe it!"

"My question," the slow, drawling tone of Einstein Professor says. "Is why the Defence room? The logical place to send both the letters, and the-well, this- is the Headmaster's office, isn't it?"

"For now," I hear Dumbledore say. "Let us focus on protecting the students. Particularly those with muggle parentage, as they are the most at risk."

There's a quiet exchange of words, that I catch none of, then I hear McGonagall say "I'll go tell the students."

Sirius and I exchange panicked looks, glancing around looking for hiding spots, hearing McGonagall's footsteps come closer. There's a door across the hall, but that would take too long.

Then I get a brainwave.

I grab Sirius's shirt collars, and pull myself up onto my tiptoes. Then, I press my lips against his.

* * *

 **And I'm done for another week.**

 **Review! Suggestions, opinions, random words strung together, I'll take it all!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ahahaha, I haven't updated for two months. I don't know what to say. Sorry? Is it too late now to say sooorrrry?** **\--** **Celia Kilmer's Word of the Day: Corybantic**

It means wild and unrestrained, which

can be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it.

He leans into it faster than I had thought he would. His arms wrap around me, his hands spread on my back. I'm thinking about how he's clearly done this much more often than me, when he does something with his mouth, and his hand moves up my back, and all thoughts disappear from my mind.

I've never been big on kissing. I've honestly never seen the attraction. So your lips touch, big deal. Don't even get me started on full on snogging. I can rant about how bizarre that is for hours.

I went through my fair share of guys after the Wilkes Walkout incident (until they realized I wasn't cool or badass, and read dictionaries for fun). So, yes, I had had some experience, but I'd never thought it was that great. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I hated it. To me, though, it was like a more intimate version of holding hands. Nice, but nothing to get too excited about.

This, though, makes me understand why girls fantasize about the perfect kiss.

Then, I hear a gasp, and remember that we're only pretending. Horrifyingly, I find myself reluctant to pull away.

Professor McGonagall is standing before us, looking, to my relief, more exasperated than angry.

"For Merlin's sake, Mr. Black."

"Hello, professor." Black says, grinning. "We were just-"

"I know what you were just doing, Black." She interrupts. "If you care to recall, we've been in this situation before."

He shrugs, but doesn't say anything.

Then, impossibly, her tone softens. "I suppose you did get the day off."

I look up at her. No. I don't believe it. She's going to let us off.

"Detention tomorrow, at 6." Or not. I won't take away any points."

"Yes, professor." Sirius says, and I'm quick to agree.

I wait until we're out of earshot to complain to Sirius. "I totally thought she was going to let us of easy!"

"She did let us off easy." He replies.

I frown. "No, she didn't. We got detention."

"Just one."

"That's how many you normally get for snogging in the hallways!"

"Only if you're a first time offender."

I stare at him.

He winks.

I decide to change the subject now. "We'll plan for next time while we're in detention then."

He stares at me then, slowly, a grin spreads across his face.

"What?" I ask, suddenly feeling self conscious.

"Nothing."

"What?!"

"Nothing."

I glare at him, but he doesn't crack. Whistling cheerfully, he moves in front of me and keeps walking.

I glare at his back, hoping that somehow he'll feel it, and suffer.

I go to the library hoping to find both Gen and a good book.

She's not at the tables reading already, which means she's browsing, which means she's looking at dusty books about Wizarding history in the back of the library, books that no one other than her has ever read willingly.

Instead of finding her browsing, however, I find her arguing in hushed tones with Finn Spencer. I quickly duck into the bookshelf behind them, and peek through the books.

"Look, I'm serious." She says, her hands splayed against his chest, keeping him at bay.

"Alright. You're serious." He says back, before pulling her into a kiss (judging from the state of their clothes and hair, it's not their first kiss of the day). His mouth moves against hers, and she lets out a small whimper, her hands curling into his shirt. Almost automatically, she tilts her head a little to the side, and presses up against him.

Feeling awkward, I start to move away, but then I hear Gen start to talk again, slightly breathless. "Tell me what was really going on."

I squeeze my eyes shut, then turn around and look back through the books. Gen's going to hate me.

He runs a hand through his hair, looking anguished. "I can't tell you that." His blond hair sticks up in different directions. "But you have to trust me, it wasn't what you thought it was."

"Oh yeah?" She hisses, her voice suddenly cold. " I have to trust you? The way you trust me?"

He sighs. "Gen-"

"Forget it." She says, her tone cutting. Grabbing her bag, she walks away, fuming.

He watches her go helplessly.

It's my turn to sigh. "Psst." I whisper, poking my head around the bookshelf.

He starts. "Celia?"

"That's my name." I walk around and join him. "Tell me what's going on."

He shakes his head in response.

"Did she catch you cheating?" I guess.

He shakes his head, misery etched on every inch of his face.

"Did you forget an anniversary or something?" I ask hopefully.

He snorts. "If only."

I lean my head back, thinking. I have no idea what could have happened.

"I'll talk to you later." I say after a little while. "I'm stumped."

He gives me a small smile, and grabs his bag. "I should probably head to my dorm."

When I get back to the dorm, Gen's sobbing in the bathroom. I have no idea where our other roommates are, they're barely ever here.

"Gen?" I ask softly, knocking on the door.

"Y-yeah?" She replies shakily.

"Come on out?" I ask.

She opens the door, and I can't help but stare. Her eyes are puffy and red, her cheeks are flushed, and her bottom lip is trembling. I can still see the tear tracks on her face.

"Oh, sweetie." I say, and throw my arms around her.

I lead her to her bed, and make her sit down. By this point, she's already sobbing.

I sit beside her, unsure of what to do. Gen's rarely ever this upset. Even on the day her and Finn broke up, she looked more tired than anything. And she definitely hadn't cried this much.

She leans into my side, and I don't hesitate to wrap my arms around her.

"Oh, sweetie." I repeat. "What happened?" We both know I'm not talking about today.

She stifles another sob, and tries to start talking, but only gets as far as 'last summer' before the tears start again.

I decide that I don't need to know right this second, and get up to grab some chocolates from my trunk (part of a care package from my sister). We sit there on the bed, eating chocolates and talking. Well, at first it's really me doing the talking. Gen just sits there eating chocolates, and listening. I talk about class, about Einstein Professor, about Sirius, I even tell her about our kiss. Eventually she joins in, and we sit on her bed and chat and stuff our faces, until it's dark outside.

I'm not sure how long it takes for her to tell the story. I sit there, listening quietly, passing her tissues occasionally.

She falls asleep and I move to my bed, thinking.

It must be around midnight when I get up and walk out of our dorm.

I know I'm screwed when I get to the portrait of the Fat Lady and she asks me for a password.

"Err… " I hesitate.

"Don't waste my time," she says grouchily. "If you don't know the password, leave, and let me sleep."

I'm about to give up, when the portrait hole opens, and Frank and Alice come out giggling. When they see me, both of them flush. Their embarrassment makes me embarrassed, and then I'm blushing too.

"Hi, Celia." Alice says. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just looking for Sirius." I say, turning an even brighter red when I realize the way that must sound.

"Oh. " She says. "I'll, um, I'll get him for you."

She climbs in through the portrait hole. Frank looks at her, then at me.

"I'll just, um, go with her." He says, and scrambles to follow her.

A few minutes later, Sirius steps out. He's wearing pajama pants. And nothing else. Under almost any other circumstances, I would've at least taken a peek, but I'm way too upset right now.

"Do you need something, Celia? He says, not bothering to hide his impatience.

I nod, and then start walking down the halls.

I hear him sigh behind me, then I hear his footsteps as he follows.

"So." He says. "Do you do this with all your boyfriends, or am I special somehow."

I can't even muster up the energy to reply to that.

I stop in front of the entrance to the Slytherin common rooms, and then turn expectantly to Sirius. He raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms over his chest.

Desperately, I try to think up some sort of bullshit to give him. When nothing comes to mind, I look him in the eyes.

"Look Sirius, it's a long story, and I can't explain it to you right now, but help me get in there and I will tell you as much of it as I can tomorrow."

He mulls it over for an agonizingly long time. "Say please."

I roll my eyes, but oblige.

He walks up, mutters something I can't hear, and then beckons me in.

I walk into the Slytherin common room, and see Finn on the couch. There's a book in his hands, and his eyes are on the page, but they aren't moving.

He looks up as I approach and starts when he sees my face. "How did you get in here?!"

"Ah, that would be me." Sirius says, sticking his head into the common room.

Finn's head whips around.

"Sirius, I think you should go back outside." I say, not taking my eyes off of Finn.

He grumbles, but retreats.

It's just me and Finn left in the room. I take out my wand, and turn my back on him, casting all the anti-eavesdropping spells I know.

Then I turn back to him, my eyes narrowed, and a cold voice I barely recognize as my own speaks."You're a werewolf."

 **Yes, I know it's short. But I really wanted to end the chapter there. Also, I'm not really sure when I'm going to update next, it's going to be pretty sporadic. But just stick with me, and I'll try my best to make it worth it.**


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